Handover is where a good floor becomes a disputed floor. The client walks the space under raking light, finds a scratch, a dull border and a joint with a chip, and suddenly the whole job is in question. A written checklist with numbers turns that walk into a signed acceptance.

The checklist

Item	Method	Pass criteria
Gloss	Gloss meter, fixed points, one angle	Within agreed range of the sample
Uniformity	Raking light from two directions	No bands, rings or halos
Edges	Visual plus hand feel	Edge gloss matches within 5 units
Joints	Straightedge and tap test	Flush, no hollow sound, no chip
Cracks	Full walk, marked on plan	All filled and level, none active
Slip	Wet PTV or R class	Meets the specified zone value
Cleanliness	White cloth wipe test	No residue on the cloth
Care pack	Documents and products	Delivered and acknowledged

How to run the walk

1. Clean the floor first. Inspecting a dusty floor produces false defects and wastes a visit.
2. Walk with the client, in daylight if possible, in the same direction, with the same light angle.
3. Mark every defect with tape and number it on a plan. Verbal snags get forgotten or multiplied.
4. Photograph each defect with a scale reference, and record the agreed fix and date.
5. Take gloss readings yourself and write them down, so "it looks dull" becomes a number.

Defects that are normal

• Colour variation between pours: inherent to the material; compare to the signed sample.
• Aggregate exposure differences: inherent unless outside the agreed range.
• Faint wheel marks under raking light at close range: normal at standard viewing distance.
• Hairline crazing in the cement paste: normal if not open and not growing.

What to hand over

Give the signed sample, the gloss readings, the slip test result, the joint and crack map, the maintenance schedule with product names and dilutions, and the reseal interval. Then book a 30-day review. Most disputes are not about the floor; they are about a client who did not know what normal looks like.

Sign the checklist on the day. An unsigned acceptance is a callback waiting for a reason.